Storing Digital Graphics and Animation

In addition to information previously noted, the following guidelines apply:

• Do not save assets using lossy compression. Use either lossless compression or no compression. You will be opening, editing and saving some of these assets on a regular basis and do not want to degrade the quality
• Use a hierarchical folder system so that it is easy to locate still images, animations, original assets and edited assets.
• Use versioning in your file naming scheme by appending ‘V1’, ‘V2’ etc to the filenames. You should not be overwriting files. This allows you to clearly show evidence of the evolution of your designs, and also allows you to easily revert to previous versions if desired
• Have a backup that has been verified. This means a copy of your work and assets that you have tested – i.e. the files are saved and not corrupt. The backup should be on a separate device in a separate location to the original. For example, if the work is on a networked computer, have a copy on a USB memory stick.

DO NOT EVER USE A MEMORY STICK AS THE SOLE COPY OF INFORMATION. They are prone to failure and loss. They are only suitable for transferring information between two places and as a backup.